Windflower
by fianna2452
Summary: She was just a maiko, nothing but a courtesan. So what he saw in her, she did not know, but he knew there was something more to her than met the eye. T Rating subject to change. Slight AU
1. I

The woman stared straight ahead as she walked through the streets. The sleeves of her lilac kimono swayed with the wind, as well as her long, black hair. She knew not where she was going or where she even was, nor did she know why she was traveling in the first place. But as Kazehana's name suggested, she was a flower of the wind, so she went wherever the wind took her. After traveling for several days, she was quite happy when she saw a sign for a city. Kyoto, the sign read.

She was stopped by two men. "You there, do you have papers?" one of the men, guarding what she assumed to be the entrance of the city, asked.

She sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. She reached into her kimono and pulled out a folded paper and handed it to them. The men scanned over it for a second or two before handing it back to her and letting her pass. She smirked as she passed by, stuffing the paper back into her kimono. It was forged, by her of course. She had no time to get authentic papers.

Now that she was in this city, Kyoto, she knew not what to do nor where to go. With that, she decided to just keep walking further into the city and explore her surroundings. Gazing to the sides as she walked, she hadn't even realized she was going to bump into someone until it was too late.

"Hey!" the man yelled, his two companions standing behind him. With the swords at their sides, she could tell they were samurai. "Watch where you're going."

"Ah, I didn't see you," she said and she began to walk around the men. One of the men grabbed her by the sleeve of her kimono, dragging her back.

"You, better apologize properly," he warned, giving her a glare.

Her violet eyes narrowed, "I said I didn't see you. That's enough explanation don't you think? Your friend here is partially at fault."

"Why you.." the guy grumbled, reaching for his sword. She strained to reach into the right sleeve of her kimono, trying to pull out her fan, but was halted when the man was forcefully shoved away from her.

"Yare, yare, samurai picking on a defenseless woman, huh?" He was taller than her, with red hair held in a ponytail and amber eyes. He also wore a blue haori over the rest of his clothing. She was slightly annoyed by the fact that he had referred to her as defenseless. Defenseless was something she was not.

The men shot her a glare before scurrying away. The man looked down at her and offered a smile, "Harada, Sanosuke, 10th unit captain of the Shinsengumi."

_Shinsengumi_? She thought to herself, looking the man over. He looked friendly enough, and he did spare her the trouble of dealing with lowlifes.

"I just arrived here and have already gotten myself into some trouble," she sighed. "Thank you, Harada-san." she bowed in thanks.

"Ah, it' no problem." He scratched the back of his head, letting out a small chuckle. "So, you say you're new to Kyoto?"

"Yes," she nodded, beginning to explain. "I've just been looking around."

"Looking around? So you don't have a place to stay?" he inquired. She shook her head, earning a weary look from the man.

"Thanks for your concern, Harada-san, but you don't need to worry about me."

"Alright then. Well I have to get back to patrolling, ja!" he waved and began walking, a group of men wearing the same blue haori followed after.

Kazehana sighed and resumed her walk, running a slender hand through her black hair. Noticing the sun was beginning to set, she knew now was the time to really start looking for somewhere to house herself in. She walked further, making it deeper into the city and eventually into what seemed to be the red light district. Her nose twitched at the smell of incense and sake that filled her sensitive nostrils.

"You, girl, are you looking for work?"

Kazehana turned to her left to see a middle ages woman dressed in an elaborate kimono. "Possibly," she answered, eying the woman.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

The woman smiled, "Perfect, come with me." She motioned with her hand for the black haired girl to follower her.

* * *

"Sano-san!" Toudou Heisuke called as said man arrived at the Shinsengumi compound with the rest of his squad following behind him. "Hurry up before we eat without you!"

"Oi, Heisuke!" Sanosuke called, following after the boy into their dining quarters. As he slid open the door, he was greeted by the commander, vice commander, and fellow captains of the Shinsengumi.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," his close friend, Nagakura Shinpachi stated.

"What took you so long, Sano-san?" Kondou, the commander, asked.

Sanosuke sighed as he took his usually place between Heisuke and Shinpachi, "I had to help a woman."

"A woman?" Shinpachi grinned. "Help her, huh? Are you sure that's all?"

"Yeah. She said she was new to Kyoto, I hope she found a place to stay."

"She didn't have a place to stay? You could have invited her here; I wouldn't mind her company!" Shinpachi laughed. Sanosuke rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the man.

"Not everyone is a womanizer like you, Shinpat-san," Heisuke commented.

Shinpachi shot a glare towards the youngest in the room. "What was that you little brat?"

"Old man!"

"Twerp!"

The others men in the room each let out a sigh, before beginning to eat. Those two arguing was a typical occurrence within the group.

* * *

**A/N: **So, I already have a few chapters of this story written, since I had posted it on Wattpad before. I just added a few things and edited around a bit. I recently watched Hakuouki Movie 1: Kyoto Ranbu, so I got inspired. This story will go through all 3 seasons of Hakuouki, but of course, some things will be different.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Feedback?


	2. II

"Come on!" A tan longed haired man whined, "What's wrong with a little relaxation, huh?"

"Shiranui," a redhead warned.

"Loosen up, Amagiri, you need some women in your life!" Shiranui slapped him on the shoulder.

The blond, Chikage Kazama, shook his head as he walked through Shimabara with his two companions, Shiranui Kyo and Kyuuju Amagiri. Heusually wasn't into these types of things, but somehow Shiranui had talked him and Amagiri into joining him. The three eventually made their way into an ochaya.

"Three pretty ladies," Shiranui said to the woman who greeted them. Amagiri gave a small nod as he walked in, Kazama, on the other hand, not acknowledging the woman.

A few minutes later, the door slid open and three women appeared with bowed heads. Each had a bottle of sake in their hands. One of the women, the eldestit appeared, looked up and introduced them. She had blonde hair that was held in the traditional geiko bun, and blue eyes.

"Good evening a gentleman, my name is Reika, and this is Kiko and Kazehana. We'll be serving you this evening." She bowed her head once more before she got up and made her way towards Amagiri. The one named Kiko, with brown hair and brown eyes, made her way over to Shiranui, much to his pleasure. That left the blacked haired girl to him.

"Pour," he ordered, holding his cup out as soon as she took a seat next to him. The woman complied without a word. She remained silent as he held out his cup again for her to refill. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. She was looking down at the sake bottle in her slender hands. He then looked towards his two companions: Shiranui was of course having a blast with his woman, and even Amagiri seemed to be having an enjoyable time with his.

"Your name."

"Excuse me?" the girl asked.

He scoffed, taking a sip of his drink. "Need I repeat myself?" _Humans were so slow._

A frown tugged at her lips and she glanced at him, noticing he was looking straight ahead. "Kazehana," she answered.

_Windflower._

"Last name?"

"Just Kazehana, unless you were to wed me."

His red eyes flashed towards her and narrowed seeing her lips now slightly turned upwards. "You're bolder than you look," he commented, keeping his sight fixated on her.

"Kazehana, Kiku," the eldest, Reika, called ending their short lived conversation.

"Yes, onee-san?" the two asked in unison.

"Perform something, would you?"

"Yes, onee-san."

The two girls nodded their heads to their men before excusing themselves to the other room. Less than a minute the two returned: Kazehana with a fan and Kiku with a shamisen. They made their way to the center of the room where Kiku began to play a few chords. Kazehana began to dance, waving the fan elegantly around her. Every step she took and every move she made was done with elegance. Even when Kiku had messed up a chord, she still moved gracefully.

Once they were done, Kazehana placed the fan in the sleeve of her kimono and headed back towards Kazama.

"Forgive them for their mistakes," Reika announced when the two girls sat down. "They're just maiko."

_Maiko?_ Kazama glanced at the girl again, though she looked young, her movements were that of an experienced geisha. To think she was only a maiko...

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"How long have you been training?"

"You're quite questioning, aren't you?" was her reply. He narrowed his eyes, somewhat losing his patience with the girl. He was starting to like her better when she was silent.

She averted her eyes from his glare, but smiled, pouring him another glass as she spoke, "A month."

"Hn," he replied, sipping his drink. She'd only been a maiko for a month and was already on par with other geisha he'd seen.

_Interesting_.

* * *

"Again."

Kazehana nodded and started the dance routine again. She and a few other maiko were practicing their dance. Because of the few mistakes she made during her dance a few days ago, she was forced to make the routine flawless.

"Again," the older woman who was supervising their dancing repeated once they had finished. "You will do it until perfect."

"Yes, Onee-san," the girls said in unison. They began the dance again, moving around with grace and poise.

While they were in the middle of their dance, the door to the room slid open and one of the geisha shuffled in. "Onee-san," she greeted bowing her head. "We're in the need of more tea and sake."

The elder woman sighed and raised her hand, signaling the maikos to stop dancing. She gazed over the group of girls before her eyes settled on two. "Kosuzu, Kazehana," all she had to do was call their names.

"Yes, Onee-san," they said, bowing their heads and excusing themselves from the room.

They slipped on their geta sandals as they exited the building, making their way onto the road. Kazehana had only been out of the red light district a handful of times, and it seemed whenever she was ordered out to town she was sent with Kosuzu or Kiku. In fact, she and Kosuzu seemed to be together for almost everything; probably because they roomed together along with Kiku.. She wasn't complaining though; she liked her and felt the close to her even though said girl was younger than her.

"Hm," Kosuzu started. "The tea is closer, so we should get that first right?" Kazehana nodded and they began their short journey. The walked in silence, admiring the bustling of the streets filled with merchants and everyday people.

"Kosuzu!"

Said girl abruptly stopped, Kazehana stopping just behind her as well. "Ibuki-san?" the blonde questioned, looking up at the boy with wide brown eyes. His long blue hair, which was held in a ponytail, swung behind him as he made his way over to the girl.

"Kosuzu, it really is you," the boy known as, Ibuki said. "What are you doing here?"

"Who is this, Ryuunosuke?" Another man questioned, walking out from behind him. He had shaggy brown hair and bright, emerald green eyes. Over his clothes he wore a blue haori, just like Sanosuke, the man she had met almost a month ago when she'd first arrived in Kyoto.

"Ah, Okita-san, this is Kosuzu and..." he paused looking over to the black haired girl.

"Kazehana. My name is Kazehana."

"Kazehana, huh? That's a pretty name," the brunet commented, eying her.

Kazehana covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono to hide her smile, and said "Thank you." She then looked over to her friend and said, "Kosuzu, we should get going before Onee-san scolds us for taking too long." The two girls bowed before walking away.

"They're sisters?" Okita asked his companion as they watched the two girls leave. "They look completely different."

Ibuki shook his head, "No. Kosuzu is a maiko, so I guess Kazehana is one too."

"Maiko, huh?" he repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe we should pay a visit to Shimabara, hm?" he suggested playfully.

**A/N: **What do you think so far? I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I don't proofread lol.


	3. III

**A/N: **Hey! Hi. I know Kosuzu isn't a blonde. This was previously written like a year ago, and when I wrote it I hadn't watched Reimeiroku in a while, so I thought she was blonde. I know she's like brunette with a greenish tinge to her hair, but you know I don't care. Does it really matter? She's not important. LOl. I'll fix it though, but in any previous chapters if you see blonde, just deal with it. I caught what I could.

* * *

"Do you think Ibuki-kun and his friend will come tonight, Hana?"

Kazehana glanced down at Kosuzu who sat on her knees in front of her; she was doing the brunette's hair. Hana was Kosuzu's nickname for her.

"They might," She paused to put a clip in the bruntettes's tresses and asked, "Do you like that Ibuki boy, Kosuzu?"

Kosuzu's cheeks turned pink and she glanced away. "I don't know," she answered, "He's really sweet, but he confuses me."

"Men can be confusing," she commented. "Don't worry about them too much."

"Kazehana, Kosuzu!"

"Yes, Onee-san?" the girls turned to the now open door. An older woman clad in an elaborate kimono, face painted white, motioned them over.

"I have your assignments for tonight. Kosuzu, you're assigned to the usual room with Kiku and Moriko." She then glanced to the black haired girl, "Kazehana, you'll be working alone in the room next door to theirs." She looked over the two to see if they had any questions, and then nodded. "They're waiting for you, be ready in five minutes," she asserted before leaving.

Kosuzu turned to her friend with and pouted, "You're too good at this, Hana. You've only been a maiko for two months and already you're doing solo jobs. You'll become a real geiko in no time."

"That means my mizuage**[1]** will be soon approaching."

"Art you scared?" Kosuzu questioned.

Kazehana shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I'll be lucky enough for it to be with a man of my choice."

"Oh," Kosuzu looked down. "I hope I'm lucky as well."

"Let's get going, ne? We shouldn't keep our guests waiting." Kazehana said with a smile, changing the subject.

"Ah, right."

The two walked out of the room and onto the main shimabara street. It was busy, filled with many men, women, and geisha alike. They quickly made it over to the tea house, which didn't take long seeing as though it was only a few feet from where the geisha and maiko were housed. Both girls walked up the wooden steps and stood in front of their designated rooms. Moriko and Kiku were already outside waiting for Kosuzu. The girls nodded towards each other as a greeting.

"This is where we part ways," Kazehana said to Kosuzu.

"This is the first time I've served without you, Hana. What if I make a mistake? You're always there to help when I mess up." Kosuzu worried with furrowed brows.

The black haired girl let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. Plus, you'll have Kiku." Kiku sent the her a reassuring smile.

"Come on, Kosuzu," Moriko started, putting her hand on the door. "Let's go before we make them wait any longer." She began to slide the door open, shuffling in. Kazehana watched as the other two, Kiku and Kosuzu, followed suit. She waited until they were fully inside and the door was closed before opening her own and shuffling quietly inside.

"Good evening. I'm Kazehana and I'll be serving you this evening," she said quietly, bowing her head in respect.

"You again," came her greet. Kazehana's ears twitched at the familiar voice. She looked up to see the blond male she had served with Kiku and Reika several weeks ago. Her lips curved up into a small smirk.

"You're alone this time," she commented as she made her way over to him. She picked up the bottle of sake and poured a bit into the cup that was resting on the tray in front of him.

"You don't strike me as the type to come by yourself," she added. "Lonely, I suppose?" She inquired.

He took a sip of the drink, ignoring the girl's comment. In truth, her observation was correct, not the lonely part, but him coming by himself. However, there were times when he'd settle down for a drink and maybe even lay with a woman, but those times weren't often.

"I don't recall ever getting your name." The girl spoke again, looking up at him with small violet eyes that seemed to hold a bit of mischief. He'd never seen such an eye color before. He inwardly scoffed; like he was one to talk, his eyes were red.

"Kazama Chikage," he answered, taking another sip from the cup before holding it out for her to refill it. She nodded as she poured more sake into his cup.

"Kazama Chikage…" she repeated to herself. She looked him over as he sipped his drink. "I like that name; it fits you."

"More," he demanded holding out his cup. As Kazehana leaned over to refill his cup, a scream echoed from beyond the walls. She jumped, spilling the contents onto his dark brown haori. He let out a noise of discontent, glaring at the girl.

"Sorry," she apologized bowing her head. Another scream came from next door, following a loud male voice.

Kazehana stood up and bowed again. "Excuse me, let me-" She was going to excuse herself to see what was going on, but he seemed to already know as he cut her off.

"Go," he ordered, folding his arms. She bowed her head again before scurrying out of the room and into the next.

* * *

"What's going on here?" She asked, seeing five other men, one of them she recognized as Ibuki, in the room and the three maiko. Kosuzu, Kiku, and Moriko were on the floor with their heads bowed. All eyes turned to her, including the belligerent ones of a tall graying man.

"Who are you?!"

"I work here. Can't you tell?" Was her response, earning a growl from the belligerent man.

"No manners, just like them," he snarled. He pointed to the three girls. "These three deserve to be punished for insulting me!"

"Serizawa-san!" One of the men yelled. He was dressed in a purple kimono tucked into his gray hakama.

"If you were men then I would have merely beheaded you," the drunkard, known as Serizawa, started, "But instead, I'll just cut your hair."

"No!" Moriko begged. "We're sorry for our rudeness. We sincerely apologize, but please don't cut our hair. If you do that then we won't be able to entertain!"

"You should have thought about that before insulting a warrior!" He reached for his katana, and the girls began to cry.

"Serizawa-san! You insulted them first by asking them to strip!" Ibuki ran over only to be knocked away.

"You do it, Ibuki. A dog should follow its master."

Ibuki clenched his fist and shook his head. "Like hell I will!"

"Then you'll offer your head instead?" Serizawa asked. "Who will cut their hair now?"

"I'll do it," the one known as Hijikata stepped forward, pulling out his katana. The three girls began crying even harder.

"Hijikata-san!" Ibuki was shocked.

"I'll do it, but will it be alright if I just cut their hair ornaments?" Hijikata asked. Serizawa was about to answer, but Kazehana spoke instead.

"Just cut my hair."

"W-what?" One of the men questioned in shock.

"No! This has nothing to do with you!" Ibuki yelled. The girls also began to protest.

"Shut up," Kazehana ordered as she made her way over to the black haired, purple eyed man. As she walked, she began taking out all the ornaments and clips in her hair. He looked at her in awe as she made her way to him.

"Will it be alright if he just cuts my hair?" she asked when she finally reached him. "It's pretty long." She ran a hand through her ebony colored hair. It reached almost to her butt; the length was something many complimented her on.

"Hn, fine. At least someone is willing to take responsibility," Serizawa huffed out.

"No!" Kosuzu yelled, only to be shot a glare from the girl about to have her hair chopped.

Hijikata hesitated as he brought his sword up the girl's hair.

"Speaking of responsibility, Serizawa-san," Kazehana started as the hair began to fall to her feet. "If you want _that_ kind of show, then you should get a private room." The man shot her a glare before stomping away, followed by the two other men and a reluctant Ibuki.

"Forgive me," Hijikta said as the last of her hair fell onto the floor. Her once hip length hair now reached just below her chin.

"I suppose I won't be able to serve any time soon," she sighed running a hand through her short hair.

"Forgive me," Hijikata repeated, bowing his head.

She turned and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry yourself with apologizing to me. I should apologize for the mess those girls caused. Forgive us," she spoke bowing her head.

"I'll be on my way now," the black haired man gave her a nod before leaving.

Kazehana turned her attention to the three girls who were still on their knees bowing their heads.

"We're sorry, Hana," Kosuzu apologized.

"Please forgive us," Kiku whimpered. She ignored the girls and headed for the exit.

"Clean this place up, it's a mess." She ordered before sliding the door closed behind her.

"Forgive me for taking so long, Kazama-san," Kazehana apologized as she entered her assigned room.

"You hair." Her hair was the first thing he noticed. When she had left, her long thick hair had been styled in the traditional geisha way, now her hair was too short to even think of doing such an elaborate style.

"I just had to clean up a mess," she let out a small laugh. "More?" she asked holding up the bottle of sake. He gave her a curt nod, watching her intently as she filled the cup. He wouldn't push any further. Whatever it was wasn't his concern.

"You're quite lucky, Kazama-san."

"Why is that?' he questioned, genuinely curious, though he wouldn't admit it.

"You're my last customer. I won't be able to entertain again with my hair like this. I guess I'll have to wait to become a real geiko." She frowned to herself, looking up in thought. "I hope this short hair doesn't disrupt my looks too much." She shrugged, reassuring herself, "It grows fast anyways."

"Hn." Kazama furrowed his brows as he sipped his drink. _This girl. _

* * *

**[1]- **From what I know, mizuage was a ceremony for when a maiko would become a geisha. During Edo Period mizuage would be the maiko's "deflowering", a.k.a. losing her virginity.

Also in case you're confused when I put "geiko", it's the same as geisha, so sorry if I interchange them throughout.

Forgive me if any of the characters mainly Chikage are OOC. Also I didn't proofread, because well, I'm lazy.


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